2002-01-01
Good Morning Fellow Believers,
Yesterday, we took another look at the "combat intelligence" God gives us in GN 3. Throughout that chapter the adversary was referred to as the serpent. It stands to reason that someone new to studying the Bible in general and spiritual warfare in particular might ask: How do we know that the serpent in GN 3 is the devil? This is a fair question which is answered in REV 12: 9 and best understood by delving into the origin of Satan. "The huge dragon was thrown out-that ancient serpent, named the devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down on earth, and all his angels with him."
Those of you who have read LK 10 know that it is the story of Christ sending out seventy-two men to go ahead of Him to each town He was to visit, two by two, saying in LK 10: 2, "There is a large harvest, but few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest." Christ knew that there would be opposition when in (3) He said, "God! I am sending you like lambs among wolves." He knew there would be some towns where His disciples wouldn't be welcome and some where they would. Later in the same chapter [LK 10: 16], "Jesus said to the disciples, 'Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One Who sent Me." We get a good look at Christ's understanding of what went on in LK 10: 17-20 upon the return of these seventy-two men. "The seventy-two men came back in great joy. 'Lord,' they said, 'even the demons obeyed us when we gave them a command in Your name!' Jesus answered them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Listen! I have given you authority so that you can walk on snakes and scorpions and overcome all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you. But do not be glad because the evil spirits obey you; rather be glad because your names are written in heaven.'" Christ's power and His wisdom are seen here. So, is the proof of God's sovereignty over all His creation, even Satan. We also have further proof of Christ having existed long enough to have seen Satan's expulsion from heaven.
Two passages that really reveal Satan's origin are IS 14: 9-15 and EZK 28: 11-19. There is plenty to say about them, and I won't be able to finish it all in this one message. So, be patient, Dear Ones, as this is vital "combat intelligence" and doesn't deserve short shrift. IS 14: 9-15, "The world of the dead is getting ready to welcome the king of Babylon. The ghosts of those who were powerful on earth are stirring about. The ghosts of kings are rising from their thrones. They all call out to him, 'Now you are as weak as we are! You are one of us! You used to be honored with the music of harps, but now here you are in the world of the dead. You lie on a bed of maggots and are covered with a blanket of worms.' King of Babylon, bright morning star, you have fallen from heaven! In the past you conquered nations, but now you have been thrown down to the ground. You were determined to climb up to heaven and to place your throne above the highest stars. You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble. You said you would climb to the tops of the clouds and be like the Almighty. But instead, you have been brought down to the deepest part of the world of the dead." So that there cannot be any question that the king of Babylon mentioned here is the devil, we must remember that evil practiced is referred to as "Mystery Babylon, the famous prostitute" in REV 17-18. We all know that the king of evil is the devil. Note also that the serpent tried to deceive Eve by telling her that she can be "like God" if she eats the forbidden fruit [GN 3: 5]. The same lie is mentioned here in (14) when the king of Babylon said he would "climb to the tops of the clouds and be like the Almighty."
We'll look at EZK 28: 11-19 in tomorrow's message, and need to turn our attention to the clear statement of God's will for us that is found in IS 50: 10, "All of you that honor the Lord and obey the words of His Servant, the path you walk may be dark indeed, but trust in the Lord, rely on your God." The message here is that in spite of any pain the Satan and his followers deliver, we must not lose sight of God's promises or His big picture. We don't suffer in vain when we endure in our faith, no matter what kind of spiritual warfare we battle. Knowing the enemy can only help to equip us for victory in the name of our Lord and Savior, God's Servant, Jesus Christ.
PRAYER: O Lord, when we study Your word, we find in it so many expressions of Your compassion and love for us that are outgrowths of the faith You gave to its writers. PS 6: 8b-10 is an example from David. "The Lord hears my weeping; He listens to my cry for help and will answer my prayer. My enemies will know the bitter shame of defeat; in sudden confusion they will be driven away." Isn't that the very same thing that happened to the devil himself in MT 4: 11? That was when he discovered that no amount of temptation that he offered would sway our Lord Jesus from His obedience to You or His discernment during His time in the wilderness. Through Your angel, You instructed Mary to name Your Son, Jesus, which means "salvation" and Immanuel, which means "God is with us" [MT 1: 21-23]. This was no accident. You inspired David to pray about this in PS 48: 7-11 to reveal Your gracious compassion. "The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge. Come and see what the Lord has done. See what amazing things He has done on earth. He stops wars all over the world; He breaks bows, destroys spears, and set shields on fire. 'Stop fighting,' He says, 'and know that I am God, supreme among the nations, supreme over the world.' The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge." You are our awesome God, Who is supreme and sovereign, Who will give us the strength to resist temptation in the face of pain and suffering, Who will lead us into victory over the devil in Christ's name! To You, Dearest Lord, belongs the glory! In humility, we place before You our trust, obedience, loyalty, diligence, confession of sin, adoration, worship, honor, praise, and thanksgiving. In Christ's holy name, amen.
As promised above, we will take a good look at EZK 28: 11-19 to learn even more about Satan's origin in tomorrow's message. While doing this study, we should never lose sight of God's purpose for us. Faith-building is one of His most important tasks. It should be work in which we join Him. We need to understand what Paul speaks of in his letter to the Romans [RO 8: 18], "I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all to the glory that will be revealed to us." That helps to keep the pain we have in spiritual warfare in God's perspective and to know that our loving Abba is always with us when we endure in our faith. His love is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. It is with us always wherever we are. It is greater and more powerful than any other love in the universe. And, it is a love that is based on total knowledge of all things. With Him, there are no lies or deceptions. Take comfort in that and join me in pressing on. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn